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Grisham's insurance agency honored as city's Minority Business of the Year

September 29, 2006
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(Chattanooga Times (Free Press, TN) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 29--Dorothy Grisham's a big Boy Scouts of America supporter, but she was anything but prepared for what happened to her Thursday.

Her Allstate insurance agency was named the Carolyn G. Jones Minority Business of the Year at the Minority Enterprise Development Week luncheon at The Chattanoogan hotel.

"It was a total surprise," said Mrs. Grisham, 54, who just marked her 30th anniversary with Allstate. The other nominees for the award were Bentco Office Solutions and Dr. Thomas Rumph.

Charles Payne, the event's chairman, said he doesn't know anyone who "does more in terms of giving back" than Mrs. Grisham.

"I don't think she's got the word 'no' in her mouth or heart," Mr. Payne said. "She provides people with products, but gives back personally as well."

One of the ways Mrs. Grisham gives back is by supporting the Boy Scouts as chairwoman in Chattanooga for its Scoutreach initiative. According to the BSA's Web site, Scoutreach "gives special leadership and emphasis to urban and rural scouting programs."



She said a main reason she got involved with the Boy Scouts is the core values the organization teaches.

"A core value system is what gets a young person to the next level of adulthood," she said. "Surveys say those boys are not into drugs. Surveys say these boys graduate from high school... because they've got a value system."

Mrs. Grisham said young black males are in particular need of that value system.

"Television offers false hope," she said. "Young black males look at TV and think they can be Michael Jordan, or some other athlete, or some movie star.

"That's one in a million. Our boys need a fundamental value system that will help them get through life," Mrs. Grisham said.

As for the MED Week award, she said, "Maybe this is a kind of payoff for me. Maybe this happened because people looked at me and saw not who I am, but what I've tried to do."

Launched in 1983 by then-President Ronald Reagan, MED Week is designed to honor minority businesses and the financial institutions that support those businesses. Mr. Payne said the free MED Week Business Expo is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Eastgate Town Center.

E-mail Bob Gary at [email protected]

Copyright (c) 2006, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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